Honors has been the most challenging experience I have had in my nursing education, but it has also helped me grow into a more flexible and knowledgeable student nurse.
I am thankful for my experience in Honors and am so proud of the work I have done!
Honors in Nursing
The Honors Program in the University of Iowa College of Nursing supports undergraduate BSN and RN-BSN students in developing a sustained piece of scholarly work grounded in clinical, research, or service experience. Over two sequential semesters, students define a topic, build its evidence base, carry out a project, and produce a scholarly report and poster presentation. Students graduate with formal recognition of Honors in Nursing on their transcript.
Honors projects take two broad forms. Many grow from work a student is already undertaking: a clinical job, a summer internship, a research assistantship, a leadership role in a student organization, or sustained volunteer service. For these students, Honors provides the structure and scholarly framing to develop existing experience into rigorous academic work. Other students design a new project from the outset, paired with a faculty mentor whose expertise matches their interest. Both paths lead to the same scholarly product and students can decide once enrolled.
Program Structure
Honors in Nursing comprises two sequential courses totaling three semester hours, completed in a student’s final two semesters.
NURS:4098 Honors Seminar (1 s.h.)
Crafting a meaningful honors project; structured steps for development of a project idea, measurable learning objectives, GANTT chart timeline, beginning literature review related to the independent study subject; identification/completion of organizational requirements such as approval processes, access to electronic systems, and training.
NURS:4099 Honors Independent Study (2 s.h.)
Building on honors seminar, students implement the project they designed in the seminar with guidance from the student’s contracted honors faculty mentor; honors project is expected to apply current professional evidence and result in a rigorous scholarly product; specific type of product negotiated with honors faculty mentor; while a minimum of 90 hours is required for honors project, honors faculty mentor and student work together to determine specific schedule commitments. Prerequisites: NURS:4098.
Each course includes three group seminar sessions; the remainder is completed independently with the support of the honors advisor.
Time Commitment
Students complete approximately 135 hours across the two semesters.
- 80 hours of project work. For students building on existing experience, these hours may have been accrued at any point during the BSN program through employment, research participation, extracurricular leadership, or volunteer service, and multiple related activities may be combined. Students designing a new project complete their hours during the program. Hours earning separate course credit may not be counted, though students may build upon work begun in another course.
- 55 hours of scholarship. Literature review, synthesis, drafting of the scholarly report, and poster development, completed according to the course schedule.
The Scholarly Product
Every honors student produces a templated scholarly report and presents a poster at the College of Nursing. The report comprises:
- Background — the problem, the population, and the need established from published evidence
- Purpose and objectives — the aim of the work and three objectives
- Project overview — methods, activities, and outcomes
- Reflection — professional growth and implications for nursing practice
- Appendix — project timeline, instruments or materials developed, and the poster
Project Types
Eligibility
Undergraduates in the nursing major — pre-licensure BSN and RN-BSN students — are eligible for Nursing Honors whether or not they participate in University Honors. Nursing Honors satisfies the experiential learning requirement (Part II) of University Honors.
To be eligible, students must:
- be in their final two semesters
- hold a nursing GPA of 3.5
Students must maintain the grade point average through the final semester to graduate with Honors in Nursing.
FAQs
Do I need to have a project planned before I enroll?
Do I need to find a faculty mentor?
The Honors Advisor (faculty of record on MyUI) serves as faculty mentor for most students. When a project requires expertise in a particular specialty, a match is arranged with another faculty member by the Honors Advisor.
Can work I am already doing count toward Honors?
In most cases, yes. Rather than requiring 80 additional hours, Honors builds scholarship and reflection upon experiences students are already undertaking.
What if I want to start something new?
That is equally welcome. Students who wish to design a project from scratch are paired with a faculty mentor in the specialty area, and the seminar provides the same structured process for developing the idea. This does not need to be determined before enrolling.
Can I count hours that earn credit in another course?
Hours completed for separate course credit may not be counted toward the 80-hour requirement. Students may, however, build upon a project or experience begun in another course.
How do I enroll?
No application is required. Speak with your academic advisor, who will guide you through registering for the honors seminar in MyUI.
Does Honors count toward my degree requirements? (RN-BSN program only)
The three semester hours may count as an RN-BSN elective.
What do I receive at the end?
Formal recognition at graduation and on the official transcript as having earned Honors in Nursing.